'You didn't build that'?

The "you didn't build that" debate between conservatives and liberals that's gone on for three weeks shows how a Christian worldview differs from that of either side.

President Barack Obama made a political misstep on July 13 when he told an audience in Roanoke, Va., "If you've got a business-you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen." He then gave an example: "The Internet didn't get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet."

The GOP has dined on that comment ever since, telling small businessmen that Obama is demeaning their hard-earned success and saying they owe everything to government. That's slightly unfair to Obama, but it doesn't help that he has no experience in running a business, is adding trillions to our national debt, and shows little appreciation for leaders who live within their budgets and criticize those who don't.

And yet, Obama is right in saying that a successful entrepreneur hasn't done it all on his own. Who does deserve credit? Obama exaggerates the role of government but leaves out the role of the Governor of us all: God. Our intelligence, our health, our very existence-they're all due to God's kindness, for we did not create ourselves. When we understand how God created and sustains everything, and when we remain calm in difficult circumstances because we have faith in Christ, that's God's special grace.

Liberals praise government and conservatives praise individuals. Christians see the significance of both but primarily praise God from Whom all blessings flow.